


Finally Reunited

by QueenofPasta



Series: A Wynonna Earp Apocalypse [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst but with fluff, F/F, Flashbacks, Kisses, M/M, Other, WayHaught OTP, WynHaught brotp, Zombies, smol idea that popped into my head at 1 am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24228241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenofPasta/pseuds/QueenofPasta
Summary: The dead rose two years ago and Waverly hasn't seen or heard from her wife since then.Nicole thinks that her family is dead, but she needs to see it for herself.
Relationships: Jeremy Chetri/Robin, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Series: A Wynonna Earp Apocalypse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748776
Comments: 3
Kudos: 99





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Do I have three other fics to write? Yes. Did I write this anyway? You betcha.  
> Enjoy!  
> All mistakes are mine, but all non-original characters are not.

Waverly kicked the rubble of what used to be the old Piggly Wiggly. Some of the old building was still standing, but a good part of it had been destroyed when the dead first rose almost two years ago.

Waverly agressively kicked another piece of wood out of her way. The wood was studier than she had anticipated, and she cursed a blue streak as her poor toe pulsed.

“Shit. Shit. Fuck!” She groaned quietly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Waverly saw Wynonna peek around a shelf to check on her.

“You good there Babygirl?” Wynonna asked in a hushed voice.

Waverly nodded. “You find anything?” 

Wynonna shook her head. “Empty on my side. A few deadheads, but they were fully dead. But they were pretty fresh. Someone’s been here recently.”

Waverly’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”

Wynonna walked closer to her sister. “The knife looked like a scavenger to me. Handle was wrapped in athletic tape. The blade itself looked like it was once a chef’s knife I think.”

“Any clues to where they might have gone?”

“Nope. The kills were clean. No footprints or anything.”

“Hm.” Waverly thought for a moment. “There was a break in on the south wall about a week ago.”

“True, but Purgatory is pretty far from the rest of civilization.” Wynonna countered.

“Yeah.”

“Did you find anything?” Wynonna questioned after a moment.

Waverly shook her head. “A toothbrush from the front and a single twinkie, but nothing super useful.”

Wynonna was appalled. “A twinkie? Speak for yourself. I haven’t had one of these in years!” Wynonna swiped the golden treat from her sister’s outstretched hand where it laid next to a plastic toothbrush. 

“Wynonna, I wouldn’t-”

Wynonna shoved half the sweet into her mouth before pausing. Waverly watched her sister’s face pale as she slowly spit the half mashed twinkie out of her mouth. Waverly couldn’t help but smile at the repulsion on the older Earp’s face.

“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you.” Waverly finished.

Wynonna was scraping her tongue with her nails. “Gee thanks for the warning.”

Waverly sighed, but smiled at Wynonna. “Come on. Let’s head back before it gets dark.”

========================================================================

The pair was walking down the empty darkening street with crossbow and pistol at the ready.

The streets were curiously empty.

Waverly had an uneasy feeling in her gut. 

“Wynonna.”

“Yeah. I feel it too.”

Carefully and quietly, the Earp sisters turned the corner to come face to face with a wall of deadheads. 

Waverly barely contained her gasp, but the small sound that escaped caught the attention of a few of the dead. Slowly the rotting heads turned and looked at the women with cloudy eyes.

Neither Earp moved a muscle. The street was filled with the dead for as far as Waverly could see. 

A gust of wind blew an old newspaper from behind them and Waverly held her breath. Sometimes the deadheads couldn’t see you and you could get away, but their sense of smell was almost unavoidable. Waverly prayed to any of the Gods left that the essence of zombie that she and Wynonna had spread on themselves earlier that morning was still good.

Another tense moment passed.

A bead of sweat slid down Wynonna's face despite the cool weather. Slowly, she lifted her foot and took a step back. Waverly followed her movements. They managed to back a few feet away before a loud crunch filled the air. Wynonna looked over at Waverly’s pale face. She looked down to see that her sister had accidently stepped on an abandoned wrapper of some sort.

The Earp sisters locked eyes as a loud roar filled the air.

“Run!” 

Together the two sisters took off like a shot to escape from the oncoming hoard. A look behind her confirmed that the deadheads were indeed chasing them. Purgatory zombies were fast runners and more often they not, if somebody was getting chased, they had better say their prayers.

Huffing and puffing, Waverly slipped as she turned a corner. She barely regained her footing. Wynonna grabbed her arm to steady her.

“In there!” Wynonna pointed to one of the only standing buildings left in Purgatory. It was getting dark quickly and with the horde right behind them, Waverly didn’t hesitate to dive into the structure. 

Wynonna and Waverly slammed the low window shut and Waverly leaned against it as Wynonna grabbed a filing cabinet to put in front of it.

The sound of groans and shouts could be heard through the metal, but it stayed shut.

Wynonna gasped for breath as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. She recognized the mess. The overturned filing cabinets. The splintered wood. The rust colored stains. Her breathing slowed as she raised her silenced pistol. She grabbed a flashlight from her pocket and walked forward, Waverly close behind.

The moans and groans of the deadheads got quieter and quieter as the sisters made their way further into the building. 

Only when they walked up the set of stairs that led into a large space filled with desks did the Earp sisters realized where they were. Wynonna swallowed hard as she swung her flashlight over to illuminate a nearby door.

_ Sheriff _

Waverly sighed as she ran her fingers lightly over the gold lettering.

“Waves. I-” Wynonna began.

“It's been two years Nonna. I can handle it.”

Waverly slowly turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. A puff of air that smelled like dust and death greeted them.

Wynonna gagged and covered her nose with her shirt. Waverly grabbed some peppermint oil from her pocket and dabbed some under her nose before handing it to Wynonna.

She stepped into the dark office. Wynonna soon followed and her flashlight lit up the grim scene in front of them.

A couple was curled together. Arms were wrapped around each other. A man and women, or at least that’s what it looked like. A large rust colored stain surrounded their heads and a dusty pistol laid just behind the female’s head. Wynonna nudged the bodies with her foot.

“I guess they wanted to die together.” she said somberly.

“My guess is that they were dying anyway. Look at his wrist.”

Wynonna knelt down and saw the faint outlines of teeth of the gray wrist.

“Damn.”

“Damn indeed.”

Waverly grabbed the small blanket that covered the couple from the waist down and unfolded it to cover their heads.

The office was silent as Waverly walked over to the large wooden desk that had been pushed into the corner. It was covered with a light layer of dust and some odd knicknacks. She carefully reached out and filled over a web covered picture frame.

A dimpled smile greeted her. Waverly gently caressed Nicole’s smiling face with her thumb. This particular picture was from their wedding day. Nicole was dressed handsomely in a white pantsuit and Waverly stood next to her in a lace gown. Both were smiling widely at the camera and Nicole’s arms were wrapped around her waist casually. Waverly sighed again and a tear rolled down her face. She wiped it away with the back of her dirt covered hand.

“That’s a good one. You should take it back for Wren and Wyatt.” Wynonna said from over her shoulder.

Waverly nodded in agreement. She carefully pried the frame apart and grabbed the flimsy picture. She folded it carefully and put it into her backpack.

Nicole and Waverly had gotten married after dating for two years and had the twins a year and a half later.

Being a single mom at 36 wasn’t really what Waverly had planned, but then again she had never planned for Nicole to come into her life either.

Nicole had left a week before the dead rose for a police conference in Ontario. 

**Two Years Ago**

“She’s going to be just like you I swear! She even sounds like you!” Waverly laughed into the phone.

_ “Well Wyatt is practically a mini Waverly so I think we’re even.” _ Waverly could hear Nicole smiling as she talked.

“She wants to join a basketball team and be a detective in the city when she’s older.”

_ “Really? _ ” Waverly could hear the pride in her wife’s voice. 

“Really. Or at least that’s what she wrote on her In Fifteen Years I Will Be paper.”

_ “She’s only eight Waves.” _

“Almost nine.”

Nicole groaned.  _ “Don’t remind me. Soon her and Wyatt will be sneaking off to have sex with their girlfriends or boyfriends.” _

Waverly laughed. “I said nine, not nineteen! We have a way to go before that happens.”

_ “One can hope.” _

“So when are you coming back home? I miss you.”

_ “I miss you too baby. I’ll be home soon. I can promise you that. I’m bringing two back with me so far.” _

“That’s my baby.”

Nicole chuckled. _ “I do try. I have one more that’s on the fence. I might be another week, most likely less. 4 or 5 days.” _

Waverly pouted. “That’s not soon enough.”

_ “I’ll be home before you know it baby.” _ Nicole said. Waverly heard somebody knocking on Nicole’s door. _ “Hold on a sec babe.” _

She heard Nicole stand and walk over to the door. With a creak it opened. She heard someone talking breathlessly. She heard Nicole respond. And then a thud.

“Waverly?”

“I’m here.”

_ “I need you to listen to me.” _

At her wife’s tone, Waverly sat up, alert.

_ “A State of Emergency has been called for all of Canada. Something about a virus. It hasn’t been announced to the public yet, but it's coming. Are you and the twins at the Homestead still?” _

“Yeah, but-”

_ “Good. Stay there. Do you have enough groceries to last for a while.” _

“I think so. Nicole-”

_ “Good that’s good.”  _ Waverly could hear Nicole loading what she assumed was her service pistol.  _ “I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.” _

“Nicole what’s going on?” Waverly voice trembled slightly

_ “I’m not completely sure. They called in backup to contain something here in Ontario.” _

Waverly squeezed her eyes shut. “Promise me you’ll be safe. That you’ll come home.”

_ “I promise. I love you so much Waverly Haught-Earp. Tell the twins I miss them and love them so much.” _

“I will. I love you Nicole Haught-Earp. Come home to me. To us.”

_ “I will. I promis-” _

A loud roar quickly followed by an even louder crash interrupted Nicole. Waverly could hear shouts and grunts of effort and finally a gunshot. Then everything was silent.

“Nicole?” Waverly whispered, tears in her eyes. She was clenching her bedsheet so tight, her knuckles were white.

_ “I’m here baby. I’m here.” _

Waverly let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.

_ “I love you baby and I’m going to come back to you. I-” _ Nicole got cut off abruptly. 

_ “ _ Nicole?  _ Nicole!”  _

========================================================================

“Waves? Hello?”

Wynonna’s voice cut through Waverly’s thoughts. She looked up at her sister.

“Sorry. Lost in thought.” 

“I can tell. What I was saying was that this seems like the safest place to be. We can wait out the horde.” 

Waverly nodded absentmindedly as her eyes roamed over the other pictures that sat on Nicole’s desk.

Hazel and Wyatt smiled back at her from the top left corner, their smiles gapped with missing teeth. Waverly smiled softly as she saw a picture of her sleeping with the twins on her chest. They were so small. Waverly sighed at an old picture of her and Nicole all dressed up, Nicole in a purple dress and Waverly in a blue one. It was from when they had first started dating. 

“Wow. Look at this.” 

Waverly turned to see that her sister was also looking at the pictures. She had picked one up and Waverly looked over to see what it was.

Waverly was sitting in a hospital bed with one of the twins in her arms. Nicole sat next to her with the other twin in her arms. Alice looked to be about three and as happy as could be in her mother’s arms. Wynonna’s eyes were red, but her face was dry and her smile mirrored her daughters.

Jeremy and Robin stood on the right side of the bed and were both smiling ear to ear holding a ‘Welcome Wayhaught Babies’ banner between the two of them. Dolls and Doc stood next to Wynonna. Doc was smiling and even Dolls had a small smile on his face.

Waverly smiled at the memories that flooded her.

“I remember that picture. I went into labor 3 weeks early and everyone was scared out of their minds. Including me.”

Wynonna nodded. “Mhm. I honestly didn’t think Nicole was going to make it.”

Waverly chuckled. “Me neither.”

Memories of the twin’s birthday flooded the Earp women for a moment

Wynonna sighed and popped the frame apart, folding the picture to slip into her own pocket.

“Alright. Enough sappy shit. We should radio Doc and Dolls.” Wynonna pulled out an ancient walkie talkie as she spoke.

Waverly nodded. “You do that. I’ll look for something to eat or at least drink.”

“Sounds good. Be careful.”

“Always.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole reconnects with Doc and Dolls and Waverly sleeps on the couch

It was getting dark and Nicole really needed to find somewhere to camp out. She considered going back into town, but ruled that out when she remembered the horde she had seen on her way out here.

She was currently on the outskirts of town and with no one in sight, Nicole’s hope continued to fall. The Earp’s were badasses, but even they couldn’t survive alone. She sighed and kicked a rock that was in her path. She was about 30 miles from the Homestead. She checked her watch. It was nearing 6:30 pm and night fell early in Purgatory. She started looking for a house or something she could spend the night in.

After looking for a few minutes, she realized she was going to have to head back into town and she sighed. It was dangerous being alone, but it was even more dangerous being alone at night.

She passed by a tall broken down building that she recognized at Bunny Loblaw’s house. She couldn’t help but smile at the state of the once pristine house. 

She walked around to the back to see if she could maybe get to the second floor somehow. Luck seemed to be on her side for this one when she found the glass door still mostly intact and unlocked. 

Nicole opened it carefully and pulled out her knife simultaneously. The house was dark and quiet. There was a gappinghole were Nicole assumed the living room used to be. The stairs seemed roughly stable.

She stood there for a beat and listened. 

Nothing.

She patted her pocket where she kept a picture of Waverly and the twins for good luck. Slowly Nicole lifted her foot and placed it on the faux wood stair. She placed her full weight on it and it remained intact and silent. Nicole mentally fist pumped at her luck.

She quickly made it to the second floor rather silently. One or two of the stairs had proved to be a problem, but it wasn’t anything Nicole couldn’t handle.

She paused again to listen to her surroundings.

Nothing but the wind blowing through the silent streets. Of the three doors in the hallway, only one was cracked. Nicole reached to open the door the rest of the way when a burst of static broke the silence. She bit back a gasp, turned and flattened her back against the wall by the door. She pulled her silenced pistol from her boot.

“Go for base.” said a deep voice.

_ “Scouts Angel and Doughnut here. We got cockblocked by a horde and are holding up in the old station.” _ a staticy voice responded.

“Scouts Science and Jazz have made it back home already. Are you good to stay the night? Walkie on our end is almost dead and we need to go before night falls completely.”

_ “Base, we are good here. Head home boys. Sweet Dre-” _ The static cut off abruptly. 

“Damn it.” The deep voice said again.

Nicole’s forehead was furrowed. She swore she knew that voice. 

“Walkie’s dead. Might as well head back now. We can pick up the girls tomorrow morning.” said a second voice, this one distictly more southern than the last.

A sigh. “I agree. Let’s head out.” 

Nicole heard heavy footsteps and the creak as the old door swung open. She immediately raised her gun and was blinded by the light of what she assumed was a flashlight.

She winced as she shut her eyes, but remained holding her gun up.

“Oh my God.”

She knew that voice, why can’t she just remember it?

“Nicole?”

He said her name and things finally clicked into place. She gasped and lowered her pistol. She shielded her eyes from the harsh light.

“Dolls?”

========================================================================

Nicole and Dolls were both stunned into silence.

“Sheriff?” came Doc’s shocked southern voice.

Nicole swallowed. Her throat felt like sandpaper. “Well not anymore obviously. Could you lower that light Doc?”

“M-My apologies.” 

The light was lowered and Nicole blinked a few times. She shook her head in disbelief when she saw Xavier Doll and John Henry Holliday standing only a few feet away from her.

“How?” Dolls asked in disbelief. 

Nicole shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Another beat passed. 

“Can you come with us?” Dolls asked, his voice more confident.

“Where?”

“Back home, Nicole. To the Homestead. We can talk there. I’d rather we not stay with night falling.”

At those words, Nicole’s knees felt weak. “H-home?” she whispered. 

Doc nodded. “Home.”

========================================================================

“I think their walkie died.” Wynonna said shaking the walkie talkie she was holding. “That or ours did.”

Waverly grabbed the walkie out of her sister’s hand. “Either way, shaking it isn’t going to help.”

“Mm.”

“Here.” Waverly threw a granola bar at the older Earp. “Dinner.”

“Yum.” Wynonna said emotionlessly.

Waverly laughed. “Shut up and eat food Nonna.”

Wynonna mock saluted. “Ma’am yes ma’am.”

Waverly rolled her eyes and bit into her own granola bar.

They sat in comfortable silence and ate for a bit, periodically taking sips of water.

Waverly finished and stood, brushing the crumbs of her jeans. It was starting to get cold in the old station.

“Did you find any blankets by chance?” Waverly asked Wynonna who shook her head.

“No, but then again, I wasn’t really looking.”

Waverly walked over to the cabinet against the wall. She and Wyatt had a tendency to get cold in 55 degree weather and Nicole had taken to keeping blankets in her office as well as in each car. With a creak, Waverly threw open the old wooden cabinet.

“Bingo!” She said as she spotted three dusty blankets. She took them out and threw one over to Wynonna who wasn’t paying attention and ended up getting smacked in the face.

“Thanks for the heads up.” Wynonna grumbled as she bent down to snag the fallen blanket.

“You’re welcome.” Waverly said as she closed the door and walked back over to her sister.

Wynonna yawned. “Man. It’s only like 7 o’clock, but I’m tired.”

Waverly nodded in agreement. “It’s been a long day. Plus the quicker we fall asleep, the quicker the boys will come and pick us up.”

“True that. Imma go to sleep.” Wynonna laid on the abandoned couch and Waverly sat on the floor beside her.

“I have fond memories on that couch.” she said with a wicked grin.

Wynonna opened one eye and scowled before sliding off and curling up on the floor. “I hate you.” 

Waverly victoriously claimed the couch and snuggled up under the blankets. “You love me.”

“Whatever. Good night.”

“Good night Nonna.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole is finally home.

Nicole's stomach got more and more twisted as the trio made their way back to the Homestead in the old blue and white truck. Dolls was driving and Doc sat in the truck bed. Nicole was pressed against the window and watched as the buildings got smaller and smaller before disappearing all together.

She started tapping her foot.

“Where have you been all this time Nicole?” Dolls asked.

“Ontario mainly. The last six months or so a few others and I decided to leave the civilization that was growing there. They wanted to head to the states and tried to convince me to join.” 

“Why didn’t you?”

Nicole sighed. “About a month after we left I got news that Purgatory was gone, but I wouldn’t believe it. I just had a feeling, so we split ways. They headed to the states and I started making my way here.”

“And it took you five months?” Dolls raised an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t exactly the easiest journey in the world.” Nicole’s voice had a hard edge to it.

Dolls left that topic for now and remained silent.

Nicole took a deep breath. “Are they still alive? Wren and Wyatt and, and Waverly?”

Dolls smiled and nodded. “And Wynonna and Nedley. Jeremy and Robin too.”

Nicole squeezed her eyes shut and let out a shaky inhale as her heart began to beat out of her chest. She let out a sob and felt Dolls pat her shoulder. Two years she had been terrified that she was too late. That they were all gone and she was alone again.

“Thank you.” she said between sobs.

“Thank Waverly. She was a machine those first few weeks. She had to be. Hazel and Wyatt were terrified. She was terrified. Everything started to fall about a week after your phone call. We had a good headstart thanks to you.”

Nicole just nodded as tears continued down her face. Dolls let her cry for a moment.

“We’re almost there.” he whispered.

Nicole sniffed and raised her head. There were faint lights in the distance.

Her heart clenched again. She was so close to her kids. To the love of her life.

“By the way, Waverly isn’t there. Her and Wynonna got stuck in town.”

Nicole looked over at the dark-skinned man. “They were in town?”

Dolls nodded. “Routine supply check. They almost took Alice and Wren this week, but eventually decided against it.” 

“Are they okay?”

“They will be. They can take care of themselves. Plus they’re in the old police station, practically the safest place in town.”

Nicole sighed in relief. “Okay.”

Dolls was silent again and Nicole looked over. He looked like he was thinking about something.

“What is it Dolls?” she asked.

“It was a hard two years Nicole. These aren’t going to be the same people you left for a business trip.”

“And I’m not the same person that left for recruits.”

Dolls nodded. “Fair. But I’m just saying. They were eight years old when they watched the dead rise. That does things to your brain. They both took it hard. Waverly did her best but…” Dolls trailed off.

Nicole’s heart hurt. She hated to think about the things her family had gone through these past two years. “I tried to get here as quick as I could. They are all I thought about for two years straight, I repeated their names over and over again. I hate myself everyday for leaving them.” 

“You needed those recruits. You had no choice.”

Nicole shook her head sadly. “You always have a choice Dolls.”

Dolls considered that for a moment. “I suppose.” he paused again. “I hate to ask Nicole, but what took you so long to get here?”

A shadow passed over Nicole’s face. “Not now. I’ll tell you, just not now. Give me a night with them, please.”

Dolls nodded.

The last ten or so minutes of the car ride was quiet. After what felt like an eternity, Dolls slowly pulled into the driveway of the Homestead. He turned the truck off and crickets overtook the silence. Nicole swallowed again. She felt Doc climb out of the back of the truck. She took a deep breath and opened the door. She hopped out and closed the door behind her quietly.

The door on the porch opened and Nicole saw Jeremy and Nedley walk out with Robin close behind.

They couldn’t see her from her position behind the truck and immediately walked over to 

Dolls and Doc.

“Where are the girls?” Nicole heard Nedley’s rough voice say.

“A horde formed in town and they took shelter in the station.” Dolls said

“Our Walkie died, but they assured us they were safe before it did.” Doc said smoothly.

“At least they're safe.” Jeremy said.

“Hm.”

“Who’s that?” Nicole froze when she heard Jeremy’s whisper.

“I don’t think you’ll believe me.” came Dolls’s reply.

Nicole stepped out from her spot behind the truck and Jeremy gasped and Nedley’s eyes went wide.

“Nicole? Is that really you?” Jeremy whispered.

Nicole smiled sideway at the younger man. “It’s me Jer.”

“My God.” Jeremy’s eyes were watery as he rushed over to hug Nicole. Nicole squeezed him back just as hard. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

Nicole let out a dry laugh as they seperated. “Me neither.”

Nicole looked past Jeremy’s shoulder to see Nedley walking over to the pair. Jeremy noticed and quickly stepped aside.Robin wrapped his arms around his sniffling husband. Nedley put a hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you again Haught.” 

Both the officer’s eyes were watery.

“Good to see you too sir.” Nicole said as the older man embraced her. Nicole let her eyes close and sighed as she finally realized that she was home again and surrounded by her family.

“What is taking you guys so long?”

Nicole looked over at the porch when the voice spoke. There stood a smaller version of Wynonna. Alice Michelle Holliday-Earp stood on the porch with hands on her hips. 

Nicole let go of Nedley and looked at the young girl. She was Wynonna’s daughter for sure. She had her mother’s hair and attitude, but her father’s eyes and height. 

Alice looked over at Nicole and immediately her eyes widened and she gasped. “Holy shit.” she whispered.

Nicole couldn’t help it. She laughed.

A chorus of ‘Alice Michelle watch your language’ filled the air. The young teen just stared at her aunt. Suddenly she grinned and opened the door to the Homestead.

“Wren! Wyatt! Get your butts down here now!” she shouted into the house. She then turned back around and launched herself off the porch and into the redhead’s arms. She was tall enough now that her chin rested just below Nicole’s. Nicole wrapped her arms tightly around the girl and placed a kiss on top of her head.

“Momma?”

A quiet whisper caused Nicole to raise her head. Wren stood before her on the porch. Her brown eyes were filled with tears and her auburn hair was grazing her shoulders. She looked as if she was going to have Nicole’s height, but she looked like Waverly in every other aspect. She covered her mouth with a hand and Nicole saw that Wren shared Nicole’s habit of biting her nails. The too big flannel the young girl was wearing slid down her arm to revel freckles and tiny scars.

A moment later, a young auburn haired boy walked out and froze in place next to Wren. His hair was longer and pulled back into a tail. He wore a pair of glasses and an off white t-shirt with green sleeves. His mouth fell open and his arms went slack by his sides, causing the door to slam shut behind him. 

Nicole would have winced if she hadn’t been so focused on the kids in front of her. She wet her lips nervously. Alice had noticed her cousin's entrances and quietly slipped out from her aunt’s arms to stand over by her dad.

Nicole opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Wren’s overfilled and tears began to fall down her face as she raced over to her mom. Nicole grabbed the girl tightly and swung her into the air. Wren cried and tears were falling down Nicole’s face once again.

“Hey Little Bird. I missed you.” she whispered to the young girl. She looked over the young girl’s shoulder to see Wyatt still frozen on the porch. She carefully set down Wren and placed a kiss on her forehead. She looked over at Wyatt.

“Hey Little Bear.” She said quietly. Nicole had called the twins Little Bird and Little bear since the day they were born. Wyatt’s eyes were watery behind his glasses. He walked slowly down the steps towards Nicole. Nicole inhaled shakily. Wyatt was a few feet away now.

“Mom?” His voice wavered a tad. “Is that really you?”

Nicole swallowed and nodded. “It’s really me bud.”

Wyatt’s smile was full of tears and he ran the last few feet between him and Nicole. Nicole squeezed him tightly with one arm and grabbed Wren with the other. She could feel Wyatt crying into her shoulder and Wren was pulling her hair with how tight she was clinging to Nicole.

Nicole could not less. A zombie horde could walk onto the Homestead and Nicole wouldn’t have cared. She was holding her kids for the first time in two years. Her heart was so full. Only one piece was missing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole sees Waverly again and it doesn't go exactly how she expected.

Waverly yawned as she climbed quickly into the old truck. It was early in the morning. The sun had just risen and the earth was cast in an orange red hue. Wynonna had volunteered to sit in the back and Dolls was driving per usual. There were currently no deadheads arounds, so it was now or never. As Dolls started the engine, a few zombies made an appearance, but Dolls just swerved around them.

“Are the kids okay?” Waverly asked as Dolls started the drive back to the Homestead.

Dolls nodded. “Yep. Alice was a little peeved that I didn’t let her come this morning though.”

Waverly chuckled. “That’s not surprising. Did the twins sleep okay?”

“Yup.”

“How about Jeremy and Robin? Did they bring back any supplies?”

“Some.”

Dolls was hiding something. Waverly could tell by the way he avoided looking at her and how he refused to elaborate.

“What happened Dolls?”

Dolls sighed. “Waverly-”

Panic rose in Waverly. “Is everybody okay? Did Jeremy or Robin get hurt on their supply run? Is it Nedley?”

“No. Everyone is fine. We have a visitor is all.”

Panic was replaced with confusion. “A visitor?”

Dolls nodded, but remained frustratingly tight lipped.

Waverly pestered him with questions as the drive continued. When he didn’t budge, she wrangled in Wynonna who was just as curious about this ‘visitor’ as Waverly was.

Finally about five minutes from the Homestead, Dolls spoke. “Please stop asking me questions. I think you’d rather it be a surprise as would I.”

Waverly didn’t really understand what he meant, but his eyes were dancing as his face remained emotionless. She finally gave up as Dolls pulled into the Homestead. Waverly cast Dolls another quizzical look. But he just smiled and said nothing as they all climbed out of the truck.

Waverly and Wynonna were both on alert as they climbed the porch steps and walked into the house. They both set their weapons by the door and stopped by the kitchen to drop off their measelly supply of things they had collected. Alice and the twins ran into the kitchen, smiles bright on their faces.

“Why are you so happy to be up so early?” Wynonna asked them. “I thought you’d still be asleep.

“We were excited to see the visitor. They are used to waking up early so we did too.” Wren explained.

“Really? This visitor sounds boring.” Wynonna joked.

Waverly rolled her eyes. “I really have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” She kissed each of the kids on the forehead before walking upstairs.

Wynonna crossed her arms and leaned against the kitchen counter. “So who is this visitor? Are they tall and smelly? Grumpy and short like you?” Wynonna launched forward and poked Alice in the belly, causing the teen to laugh.

“You’ve never called me grumpy.” came a soft voice from the doorway. “If I remember correctly, you once called me a ‘walking bumper sticker’.” 

Wynonna gasped as she turned and saw her best friend in the doorway. She straightened and walked over until she was face to face with the redhead.

“Nicole?” she whispered.

Nicole smiled softly, her eyes watery. “Hey Wy.”

Wynonna wrapped her arms around the taller woman and Nicole immediately reciprocated. Wynonna squeezed Nicole hard as she fought back a wave of tears. A few slipped by and cascaded down her cheeks. “Oh my God. It’s you. It’s really you.”

“It’s me.” Nicole whispered back.

After a minute or two, Wynonna took a step back and wiped her face. She grinned widely despite the tears. “Waverly is going to lose her shit.”

At her love’s name, Nicole’s heart clenched for a beat before returning to normal. She had heard the younger woman’s voice a moment before and it had set her stomach aflutter with excitement and nerves.

Wynonna patted Nicole on the shoulder. “It’s really good to see you again Haught stuff.”

Nicole smiled at the nickname. “Some things never change huh?”

A thundering of somebody coming down the stairs interrupted the moment. Waverly walked in the room and Nicole couldn’t breathe. Her wife was as beautiful as ever. 

She had cut her hair so that it just passed her shoulders. She was dressed in a puffy blue jacket with a PPD hoodie underneath it. Her eyes were the beautiful hazel Nicole remembered and even though there were a few lines on her face that hadn’t been there when Nicole had left, Waverly was still the most amazingly stunning person Nicole had met all those years ago.

“Whew. I didn’t know if I would make it back to the house. Have you guys had breakfast? I’m star-” Waverly froze as her eyes landed on Nicole. 

“Nic?” Waverly’s words were almost inaudible.

Nicole swallowed and nodded. A lone tear fell down her face. “Sorry I’m late. Work ran long.”

Waverly walked slowly across the kitchen until she stood a hairs length from Nicole.

Wren, Wyatt and Alice were all watching the exchange closely. They had seen what losing Nicole had done to Waverly and they couldn’t be happier seeing them together again.

Waverly lifted her shaking hands to cup Nicole’s face. Nicole bit back a sob when she felt Waverly touch her. The couple stared at each other, rememorizing the others' faces

Waverly opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out.

Nicole smiled lovingly down at her. “You are as beautiful as the day I left you.” she whispered.

Waverly gasped and tears began to fall down her face as well. “Nicole. You’re here. You’re really here.”

Nicole nodded again. “I’m here baby. I missed you so much.”

Waverly hiccuped. “I missed you too.” With that she slipped her lips over Nicole’s. The intensity almost broke them both. The love and passion overwhelmed them as Nicole wrapped her arms tightly around Waverly’s waist and Waverly slid her hands back to cup Nicole’s head.

Most kids would have been disgusted or weirded out by seeing their parents PDA, but both Wren and Wyatt had smiles ear to ear as they watched their parents.

Waverly broke off the kiss and leaned her forehead against Nicole’s. The both sat there for a moment before Nicole felt a slap on the back of her head.

“Ow! What was that for?” She raised a hand to her head and looked at her wife who was still madly adorable as she glared at the redhead.

“I thought you were dead Nicole.” Waverly said as she stepped away from Nicole.

Wynonna sensed the shift and quickly ushered the kids out of the room. “Let’s give them a minute shall we?”

Neither woman paid any mind. “I thought you were dead.” Waverly repeated her chin wobbling.

Nicole’s heart almost broke right then and there. She wanted to reach out and grab her wife and hold her. She wanted to make the pain go away.

“Do you know how hard it was? Having to take care of two kids while everything around you is going to shit? Having to look your children in the eye and tell them that you don’t think Momma will be home for a very long time. Do you know how that feels?” Tears were streaming down Waverly’s face now.

“Waverly I-”

“No! Where were you Nicole?”

Nicole sighed. “I got stuck in Ontario for about a year and a half. Everything went to hell like it did here and I was in the middle of it. Finally me and a group of six or so people got out. They decided to go towards the states. I wanted to come here. They tried to convince me not to go. We had gotten a letter about a month into our journey saying that Purgatory had been lost. That there were no survivors left.” Nicole took a deep breath. “It almost broke me. For a week I was broken. I didn’t sleep. I didn't eat. I didn’t move. I felt like a failure. I have promised to protect you and the kids and I fail. I had promised to come back to you and I failed. Guilt ate at me from the inside out. Finally one of the guys in the group, Jackson Paul, told me to get my shit together, literally and physically. After a day or two I did. Everyone else was getting ready to head to the states, but I had to see for myself that you were gone. That everyone was gone. So I hit out on my own. I figured once I got here and found you and everyone else, I would,” Nicole paused. “Put you out of your misery. It took me four and a half months to get here. I finally made it yesterday and I thought maybe, maybe you were still alive that everyone was still alive. I had almost lost hope when I found Doc and Dolls. They brought me here and when I saw Wren and Wyatt…” Nicole trailed off and shook her head. “Everything I thought I had lost was suddenly right in front of me. I broke down when Dolls told me that everyone was alive. It was more than I had hoped for. I knew you would be coming home today and I couldn’t sleep all night. I was so happy to hear that you were alive.” Nicole walked over and cupped Waverly’s face in her hands. “A piece of me died when I heard that you and the twins were gone. Seeing you here, alive. I have never been so happy in my life. I love you so much Waverly. It felt like I was missing a piece of myself while I was away from you.”

Nicole kissed the top of Waverly’s head and folded her into a hug. “I am so sorry I left. If I could change time I would. I am never leaving you again, Wavery Earp. Never.”

Waverly finally broke and sobbed in Nicole’s arms. “I thought I lost you. I was so scared.”

“Shh baby. I was scared too. At least we are all back together.”

“I love you so much Nicole Haught. Don’t you ever leave me again.”

“I'm never leaving your side again as long as I live.” Nicole vowed. “I love you forever and always.”

“Forever and always.” Waverly tilted her head up and the two sealed the promise with a kiss.


End file.
